Combination brake and clutch for churns and the like



Feb. 9, 1937. A. c HOUGLAND COMBINATION BRAKE AND CLUTCH FOR CHURNS AND THE LIKE ZSheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 17, 1931 INVENTOR I NEYJ Feb. 9, 1937. HOUGLAND 2,0 9,741

COMBINATION BRAKE AND CLUTCH FOR CHUHNS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Aug. 17, 1931 Q'Sheets-Sheet 2 IN lE/VTOR v %ZZeriaf/qzl za7za.

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES COMBINATION BRAKE AND CLUTCH FOR CHURNS AND THE LIKE Albert C. Hougland, St.

Paul, Minn; assignor to Crane Company of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Original application August 17, 1931, Serial No. 557,597.v Divided and this application March 4, 1935, Serial No. 9,209

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a combination clutch and brake, the application being a division of my co-pending application for patent for Driving mechanism for churns, Serial No. 557,597, filed August 17, 1931.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel combination clutch and brake, particularly, although not exclusively, adapted for use with machines such as churns where there is a heavy rotating body which must be stopped and retained in predetermined positions with varying degrees of force and where any attempt to apply the brake when the machine is in operation would be apt to damage the driving mechanism.

A further object is to provide novel brake mechanism adapted to apply the braking force instantaneously and with adequate power while requiring little effort on the part of the operator.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure 1 is an end' View of a churn showing my improved brake and clutch mechanism mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3; g

Fig. 3 is a plan view of my device, together with a portion of the churn on which it is mounted, and I Fig. 4 is a partial side elevation and partial central vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a'large, cylindrical churn 5 is disposed with'its axis of rotation horizontal. The machine has power driven mechanism for rotating the body 5 at suitable speeds for churning and working butter within said body. Access to the interior of the body 5 is provided for through a door 5a (Fig. 1). The ends of the body 5 are supported in the usual manner by bearings or trunnions. One of these bearings is indicated by the numeral 6 and is supported on a gear housing 1 containing suitable change speed gearing. A preferred embodiment of such gearing is described in my application bearing Serial No. 557,597, filed August 17, 1931.

Projecting from the housing 1 is the main drive shaft of the churn, indicated by the numeral 8. The outer end of this shaft is supported in a standard 9 disposed in spaced relation to the housing 1 and connected thereto by tubular frame members Ill. Freely revoluble on the shaft 8 is a drive pulley II and fitting within this pulley is a clutch member l2 of the conical type. This clutch member is secured to the shaft 3 by keys l3 and is slidablelongitudinally thereon to and from engagement with the pulley H. The clutch member I2 is normally held in engagement with the pulley by bolts M which extend through perforations in a disk l5 and have coiled springs l6 confined between said disk and the heads of the bolts. The disk l5 fits loosely on the shaft 8 and is arranged to transmit the thrust of the springs IE to the ends of the keys I3. The keys l3 are held against movement longitudinally of the shaft 8 in keyways therein and the ends of these keys engage the face of the. disk l5 to retain said disk in spaced relation to the clutch member l2.

The clutch member l2 has a hub I1 and a collar I8 is freely revoluble in a suitable recessin the hub ll. Studs [9 project from a forked lever to engage the collar 58 for shifting the clutch member l2 along-the shaft 8. The lever 20 is pivotally supported on a bracket 2| secured to the housing I and an end of this lever carries a roller 22 adapted to be engaged by an arcuate cam 23. The cam 23 is integral with the lower extremity of a manually operable lever 24 having a pivot 25 projecting from the housing I. toothed quadrant 2B is mounted on the housing I to be engaged by a dog 21 on the lever 24 for retaining said lever in predetermined positions. To actuaw the dog 21 a button 28 is provided on the free end of the lever 24, this button being connected to the dog and normally held in operative position by a small spring. The button 28 is depressed to release the lever from the quadrant 26. V

Adjacent to the clutch member I2 is rigidly mounted a brake ring 29 adaptedto be engaged by an annular surface 30 formed on the clutch member l2. The ring 29 is integral with a cylindrical housing 3| bolted to the gear housing 1. The shaft 8 is operatively connected to the churn body 5 and butter working rolls therein by gearing within the housing 1. Projecting from this housing is a lever 32 for changing from one speed to another and a clutch lever 33 to control the connection between the butter working rolls and. the shaft 8.

When the churn is in operation, the lever 24 is in the position indicated in Fig. 2, wherein the springs it on the bolts F4 retain the clutch member l2 in engagement with the driving pulley H. When the churn is to be stopped for examination or testing of the contents or for other reason such as to permit withdrawal of the buttermilk or upon completion of the working of a quantity of butter, it is only necessary to manipulate the lever 24. This is done at the moment the door a in the cylindrical periphery of the churn 5 or buttermilk outlet'reachessuch -po'sition as to permit removal of the contents or inspection of the interior conveniently. The angle of the face of the cam 23- which engages the roller 22 is such that the force exerted by thesprings I6 is insufiicient to move the lever 24 from any selected position. Thus the toothed quadrant 26 and dog 27 are notlessential toithe operation butare employed as a safety measure.

. 7 'With a load of several hundreds or thousands of it is desirableto turn it 'by powerito the position Where it is to be stopped. Obviously this requires pounds inthe churn, as is frequently the case,

' an instantaneous clutch operation; and application of the brake with considerable force.

My device is particularlydesigned for this use;

The space between the face of the brake ring 29' and annular surface v3|! of the clutchmember" l2 ismade small so asto permit instantaneous application of the brakeupon the release of the clutch. As will now be understood, the operator merely moves the'lever 24 to the left from its position shown in Fig. 2 todisconnect the clutch and also to apply the, brake quickly when required. In this operation the cam 23 aotuates the fork lever about its pivotal support in the bracket 2| against thea-ction of the springs l6, until the annular face .30 of the member 12 is brought into firm engagement with the stationary brake ring :29. I'hearcuatecam 23 is capa- 'ble of applying the brake with great force and quickly when desired, or gradually and with light pressure, such as would permit the manuallturning of the churn body against slight friction. By my arrangement of the cam 23 relative to the lovers 24 and 20, the lever is retained in the i 7 "exact position to'whichit is moved manually so that thebrake is applied with any desired degree of pressure and'the position of the clutch .l 2 is accurately controlled to avoid strains on the mechanism such'as would be caused by sudden engagement of said clutch with the drive pulley H. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim as; new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1'. In mechanism of 7 the class described, a

shaft, an annular brake member keyed to said shaft 7 and movable longitudinally thereon, a

fixedbrake element mounted adjacent to said 'nally thereon, a fixed brake element disposed concentrically to said shaft and arranged to be engaged by said movable brake element, a brake lever, means for securing said lever in a plurality of operative positions, asecond lever operatively connectedto said movable brake element to move the samelongitudinally of said shaft and cam means operable by said first mentioned lever lever. V

to actuate said second lever to securesaid load in selected angular positions. r

3. Mechanism of the class described'comprising, a power shaft, means for driving said shaft, 1

a clutch mounted on said shaft for operatively connecting said driving glneans thereto, said clutch, being movable longitudinally of said shaft, an annular brake surface formed on said clutch, a fixed brake member disposed adjacent to said brake surface of said clutch, a lever operatively connected to said clutch to move the same along said shaft, a second lever and'cam means operatively connecting said first men-e tioned lever to said second lever.

4. In mechanism for driving a churn, a. power 'slmft, an. annular brake member revoluble with said shaft and movable longitudinally thereon,

afixedbrake element adapted to be engaged by said. movable brake element; driving connections between said shaft and churn and manually operablemeans for actuating saidflmovablebrake element toengage'sald fixed brake element comprising, a lever, means for securing said lever in predetermined positions, a. second: lever operatively connected to said movable brake ele-v merit and movable in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of movement of said first mentioned leveigandcam means movable with one of; said levers and operatively connected to the other of said levers for forcibly and adjustably applying said movable brake member to said fixed brake element and arranged to be actuated by said first mentioned lever.

- ,5. In mechanism for driving a churn, a power shaft, an annular brake element revoluble with said shaft and movable longitudinally thereon, a

fixed brake ring adapted to be engaged by said movable brake element, resilient means for normally retaining said movable element outof engagement with said fixed element, driving connections between said shaft and churn and manually operable means for selectively operating said movable brake element to engage said brake ring comprising, a lever, meansfor securing said lever in predetermined. positions, a second lever operatively connected 'tosaid movable brake element and roller and cam members operatively connecting said leverstogether. 6. In mechanism of the class described, a fixed brake member, a secondbrake membermovable to and from engagement with said'fixed brake member, vabrake lever movable in a plane perpendicular to the direction'ofmovement of said second brake member, fa second lever connected to said movable brake member to move the same to and from engagement with said fixed brake f member and cam means operatively connecting said second lever to said first mentioned lever.

'7. In mechanism of the class described, a shaft, a combination clutch and brake member movable along said'shaft, a fixed brake member adapted tobe engaged by said combinationmember, a brake lever movable ina plane perpendicular to said shaft, a second lever operatively connected to said combination member to move the same to and from engagement with said fixed brake member and cam means operatively connecting said second lever to said first mentioned ALBERT C. HOUGLAND. 

